Lifting and winding devices are usually used in engineering fields, such as for example, in various hoisting machines and mine hoists. During operation, a steel wire rope may bear various loads at the same time such as tensioning, bending, twisting, and compressing, and may also experience various mechanical damages. These are related to a working condition of the steel wire rope. In many cases, single-layer winding cannot adequately meet the function requirements. On the other hand, the appropriate use of a multi-layer winding of a steel wire rope needs further research. For multi-layer winding of a steel wire rope, the wire rope will form another layer when the winding within previous layer is finished. During transitioning from the previous layer to the next layer, the steel wire rope undergoes complex forces and frictions, which greatly affect the service life of the steel wire rope. Studying the friction behavior of the steel wire rope in this stage provides an important theoretical guide for appropriately designing a multi-layer winding reel and improving the service life of the steel wire rope, and additionally, it has a practical engineering value. Therefore, there is a great need for a method and device to detect the friction force of a steel wire rope when the steel wire rope is wound around a reel and is about to form a further layer.